Locusts, commonly known as grasshoppers, grasshoppers, grasshoppers, and grasshoppers, are probably one of the oldest living groups of herbivores, dating back to the Early Triassic period, about 250 million years ago. The locust plague is a worldwide catastrophe with a long and widespread history, and has always been one of the problems facing the world. When it breaks out, it often leads to severe economic losses and even famine due to food shortages. Today, let us discuss the 10 most terrifying species of locusts in the world, such as the desert locust, the East Asian locust, the Moroccan halberd locust, the Italian locust, the Tibetan locust, the yellow-ridged bamboo locust, the Siberian locust, and so on, to understand their characteristics.
小翅钝蝗(Romalea microptera):雌性(较大)正在雄性陪同下产卵
Some of these locust species, such as the desert locust, the East Asian locust, and the Moroccan halberd locust, are notorious for their sheer numbers and destructive power. They attack crops and destroy vegetation, causing serious damage to agricultural production and the ecological environment, and having a huge impact on the local economy and food supply.
Research and monitoring of these dreaded locust species is essential in order to take preventive and control measures early and avoid greater socio-economic and environmental damage from locust infestations. Hopefully, we will be able to effectively curb the scourge caused by locusts through better understanding and effective control measures.
1. Desert locusts (explosive migratory and devastating "fighters among locusts")
Widely regarded as the first of the ten most feared locusts, the desert locust is known for its explosive, migratory and devastating characteristics. Originating in Africa, the desert locust has been the number one scourge of locust plagues in Africa for nearly a thousand years. In the event of a large-scale outbreak, it can cover 57 countries on the entire African continent, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean coast, with a total area of 29 million square kilometers.
For a long time, desert locusts have frequently outbreaks on the African continent and the Middle East, and they have migrated across regional and national borders on a large scale, posing a serious threat to agricultural production. More than one-tenth of the world's population has been affected by the disaster, and the potential for destruction from locust swarms is enormous, with an estimated 1 square kilost swarm feeding the equivalent of 35,000 people in a day.
2. East Asian locust (devastating agricultural biological disaster)
In China, the East Asian locust is considered to be the most harmful locust. They are an important agricultural pest in Southeast Asia and one of the notorious big pests in Chinese history. The locust plague in the Yellow River Delta region is mainly caused by East Asian locusts. For more than 2,600 years, from the beginning of the weekend and spring and autumn periods to about 1950, a regional large-scale outbreak occurred every 2~3 years on average, and more widespread and rampant disasters occurred every 5~7 years. This locust can migrate long distances, is prone to outbreaks, and eats grasses and sedges, mainly posing a serious threat to a variety of crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum, millet, rice, and millet. In the event of a large-scale outbreak, they devour almost all greenery.
3. Moroccan halberd locust (representative locusts in the Mediterranean region are destructive)
The Moroccan halberd locust, commonly known as the Moroccan locust, is considered one of the most threatening locusts and is widely distributed in North Africa, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and West Asia. These locusts are usually solitary, but within a few years their numbers can increase rapidly, forming huge swarms and wreaking havoc on farmland. The Moroccan halberd locust is considered one of the most destructive plant pests in the world.
A "massive" locust infestation in eight wheat-producing provinces in Afghanistan could lead to widespread crop losses and a "drastic" deterioration in food security. In the Mediterranean, the Moroccan halberd locust is a serious plant hazard and can cause major ecological disasters.
4. Italian locust (the representative locust of the European continent)
The Italian locust is one of the most famous locusts in continental Europe, while in China, it is mainly distributed in desert, semi-desert and grassland areas of northern Xinjiang at an altitude of 800 to 2,300 meters, and is one of the main harmful locusts in the local area. The locusts are widely dispersed along the Tianshan Mountains in northern China, from the Balikun Basin in the east to Jichang Prefecture, to Bortala Prefecture, Ili Prefecture, Tacheng Basin, and Altay Mountains in the west, and to Bayingolin Prefecture, Aksu Prefecture, and Kashgar Prefecture in southern Xinjiang. In addition, the Italian locust is also found in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Gansu.
This locust feeds mainly on various Artemisia and Liaceae plants of the Asteraceae family, and can also harm grasses and even wheat and other crops. Its wide distribution and harmful nature in China make it an object that needs to be focused on and controlled in local agricultural production.
5. Tibetan locusts (China's three major locusts harm barley/wheat/pasture, etc.)
Considered one of the most dangerous locusts, the Tibetan flying locust is mainly found in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, southeastern Qinghai and western Sichuan Province, and is the only subspecies of locust found at high altitudes. As one of the three major locusts on the mainland, the Tibetan locust has three typical characteristics of its damage to crops and pastures: large-scale occurrence and high-density swarming; long period of locust hatching and locusts; and strong reproduction and migration capabilities.
In recent years, this locust outbreak has spread to surrounding areas, mainly harming crops such as barley and oats, as well as pastures. Due to its huge appetite and strong fecundity, the Tibetan locust has become one of the important pests of crops and pastures in the western Sichuan Plateau.
6. Yellow Ridge Bamboo Locust (Grade III Hazardous Forestry Pest)
Often commonly known as the bamboo locust, the Yellowridge Bamboo Locust is one of the main pests in the bamboo forest areas of the mainland, often causing widespread damage. It mainly attacks moso bamboo, and then harms different species of bamboo, such as bamboo, water bamboo, etc. When there is a large-scale outbreak of bamboo locusts, they can completely eat up the bamboo leaves, and the bamboo forest will be like a fire, the young bamboo will wither, and the old bamboo will no longer produce new shoots within 2 to 3 years after the attack, and the bamboo forest will gradually wither. The infringed moso bamboo will die, resulting in water accumulation in the bamboo and fiber decay, making the bamboo lose its use value and lose the possibility of reuse.
According to the investigation of the situation, there were invasions of the Yellow Ridge Bamboo Locust on the mainland in 2020 and 2023, but fortunately, the authorities took timely control measures to curb the damage of the locusts to the bamboo forests and avoid more serious consequences.
7. Siberian locusts (harmful to pastures)
Siberian locusts are mainly distributed in the Siberian region of the former Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic abroad, and in China, they are distributed in the summer and autumn pastures of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin and other places, and some areas of Gansu are also distributed. This kind of locust mainly feeds on grass and crops of the grass family and sedges, and they like to eat plants such as Tianshan Laicao, fox grass, cow hair grass, Rhizome grass, ice grass, stalked grass, triangular grass, wild onion, dandelion, horsetail, wheat and other plants, and often cause serious losses to forage.
In steppe areas, Siberian locusts cause serious damage to pastures, and when the damage reaches a critical level, livestock die en masse due to a lack of sufficient forage in winter and spring.
8. Chinese rice locust (harmful to corn/sorghum and other crops)
There are many kinds of rice locusts, among which the most harmful is the Chinese rice locust. This locust produces one generation per year, overwinters in the form of eggs, lives in low-lying moist areas or near waters, and uses grasses as its main food source, mainly causing damage to a variety of crops such as rice, corn, sorghum, various types of wheat, sugarcane and beans. It can be harmed by adult and nymph insects that eat leaves, stalks and young shoots. When rice is damaged, the leaves show irregular chashes, which can lead to complete devouring of the leaves, and they may also gnaw on ear necks and ripe grains. In southern China, the Chinese rice locust is more serious and has the potential to trigger catastrophic outbreaks.
9. Asian locust (main agricultural pest)
The Asian flying locust is also one of the well-known locusts and is considered one of the most threatening species. It is mainly distributed in the grasslands of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Northeast China and other regions of China, and usually lives at an altitude of 200 to 500 meters, and sometimes even as high as 2500 meters above sea level. The Asian locust feeds mainly on grasses of the grass family and sedges, but also attacks crops such as corn, barley and wheat.
This locust is a social insect with a strong reproductive ability and a large number of locusts, which can cause locust plagues when the number is severe, resulting in a large area of crop failure. As a result, the Asian locust is considered one of the major pests in agriculture and poses a serious threat to crop yields and food security.
10. Cotton locust (harmful to cotton)
Adult cotton locusts usually choose to lay their eggs in sparse loam soils with plenty of sunlight, especially at the edge of the junction between woodland and glades. These locusts mainly damage eucalyptus, other forest fruit trees, crops and weeds. Adults and nymphs feed mainly on leaves, but also on twigs and bark. Severely damaged leaves are often eaten completely, leaving only petioles or main veins, as if they had been burned, and sometimes the main stem may die, threatening growth or even causing plant death.
In general, cotton locusts choose open forest areas with more budding and abundant sunlight as their spawning and habitat. The environmental requirements of the cotton locust include areas with abundant weeds in glades, more young and sparse forests, and poorly managed budding forests and woodland edges. These places often become the main places for large-scale breeding and disaster of cotton locusts.
- Other species of locusts that often cause natural hazards:
Bamboo locusts
Chinese swordhorned locust
- Indian Yellow-ridged Locust, Australian Locust, Striped Red Locust, Brown Pseudo-Flying Locust, Tree Locust, African Flying Locust, Soil Locust, Spotted Cane Locust, Flower-shin Green Locust, Small Cushion Point-winged Locust, Short Star-winged Locust, Japanese Yellow Ridge Locust, Small Cart Locust, etc......